The present invention relates generally to paint cans, and more particularly, to a cover guard for a rim of a paint can with an attached paintbrush well.
Over two million one gallon paint cans are sold everyday in the United States. Conventional paint cans include a cylindrical side wall that is open at the upper end and closed by a circular bottom wall. The open upper end forms a rim with an annular recessed channel that is used for securing the circular lid on the paint can in closing relation to the open upper end.
After the lid is removed, in order to perform a painting operation, a user inserts or dips the bristles of a paintbrush into the paint held in the paint can. In order to remove excess paint from the bristles, the bristles are then scraped or wiped along the inner edge of the rim, so that the excess paint falls back into the can. The user then paints a surface with the paintbrush. These steps of dipping, wiping and painting continue repetitively.
However, a problem with such operation is that, during the wiping step to remove excess paint from the bristles, some of the excess paint falls into the annular recessed channel of the rim. In addition, when the paintbrush is not in use, there is no place to rest the paintbrush. Accordingly, the paintbrush is commonly laid across the open rim of the paint can. In such position, additional paint from the bristles of the paintbrush drips into the annular recessed channel.
Because of such operation, there results a buildup of paint in the annular recessed channel of the rim. This is disadvantageous since the paint buildup therein can make it difficult to insert the lid on the rim in a sealing relationship. Therefore, a user will commonly wipe the annular recessed channel with the bristles in an attempt to remove the excess paint from the annular recessed channel of the rim. Unfortunately, a majority of the paint remains in the annular recessed channel.
Because of the paint in the annular recessed channel, it can be difficult to reseat the lid in the annular recessed channel in a sealing manner. Further, when inserting the lid in the rim to close the paint can, some of the paint may be pushed out of the annular recessed channel and spill over the rim to the side of the paint can, or even worse, may splatter outwardly. Also, when the lid is reseated in the rim, it makes it difficult to remove the lid at a later time after the paint in the annular recessed channel has dried and adhered to the lid.